


Waltzing Across Debris

by zenkitty555



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Angst and Feels, Drunken Flirting, Feels, First Kiss, First Meetings, Happy Ending, Infinity Gems, M/M, Playboy Stephen Strange, Playboy Tony Stark, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Doctor Strange (2016), Pre-Doctor Strange, Pre-Iron Man 1, Slow Build, Sorcerers, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 10:52:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10852479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenkitty555/pseuds/zenkitty555
Summary: Five times Tony and Stephen almost kissed and the one time they did.





	Waltzing Across Debris

**Author's Note:**

> There are deaths mentioned, but no specific characters are designated.

I.

Stephen Strange always loved speaking at charity events, because he knew that he would get easy press that way. That night was for spinal cord research at something sponsored by the University of California. He was still a bit jetlagged, but he had drank enough espressos to keep him going the night, and normally when these things got going his adrenaline kicked in. It wasn’t like he was old either, in fact he was the youngest speaker of all of the group. However, it did irk him that he was not the most prominent; that honor went to Tony Stark.

Normally they didn't invite weapons specialists to this kind of things, but Stark had developed some kind of medical equipment as well, to treat the injured on the American side of whatever military action was taking place at the moment. Stephen couldn’t care less, as none of it was surgical.

They first met backstage, where Stark was flanked by a group of people. He almost didn’t say hello, except that Stark had called to him first. It was astonishing that the man even knew who he was, given that Stark was the kind of guy who looked more for pretty faces than accomplished people. In other words, he had a reputation. 

They exchanged niceties for a good 15 seconds before they were ushered to their positions for their speeches.

But the night really picked up afterwards when most of the guests mingled with each other, as drinks as horderves were served. Stephen had a few people ask him about his work, and barely noticed when Stark slid up next to him, clapping him on the shoulder. He jumped a little out of surprise.

“Sounded all doctor-y up there, I was pretty impressed. Smart, young, charismatic, are you sure you're not a brother from another mother?” Stark joked.

Stephen didn’t really know what to make of that. It was flattering, but also a little presumptuous. He was going to be bigger than Tony Stark in his mind. Tony Stark was an inventor, but he, Stephen Strange was going to revolutionize healing and medicine.

“Ah, only in spirit,” Stephen joked back.

Tony grinned a wide grin as he tipped back his glass of wine. Stephen raised his own before doing the same, and the two parted. Their paths didn’t cross until much later, inside of the bathroom. The event had wound down considerably, and they were the only ones in the bathroom. After meeting at the sink while washing their hands, Stephen noticed that Tony kept looking at him in the mirror.

When Stephen went to leave after drying his hands, Tony grabbed his wrist, surprising him.

“Where are you off to handsome?”

They both had quite a bit to drink by that point.

“I should get some rest,” Stephen said.

Tony stood, practically pressed up against him at this point, and Stephen felt his heart start to race.

He was positive they would have kissed if it weren’t for one of the organizers bursting in right after. Tony jumped back, patting him on the shoulder.

“Next time Strange. See you around,” he said before exiting the room.

Stephen stood there slightly bewildered by the whole experience.

 

II.

He knew he had made it when he was invited to one of the most exclusive events in New York, a gathering of the who's who, not only of New York, but of the world. Unfortunately he was flying solo for the evening as Christine had been called into the hospital following a massive thirty car pile up on the FDR. Stephen was too important to be doing such grunt work in a chop shop like the ER.

It was slightly disappointing how entertainment celebrities hogged most of the spotlight, but still he was grateful to hobnob with the elite, and also potentially receive more funding for some pet projects he had. Equipped with impressive title and brain, he had already gathered quite an impressive stack of business cards and a numerous amount of phone numbers from mostly elderly women and a few younger women as well. They were easier for him to charm.

He had just finished talking with a group of girls, maybe in their late twenties when he felt someone put their hand at his lower back.

“Strange isn’t it? We meet again.”

Stephen rolled his eyes at the pun he had heard a million and one times. He turned to find Tony Stark at his side, with a grin as wide as the Cheshire’s cat.

It had been nearly five years.

“Yes, last time I believe you were nearly going to kiss me before you lost your nerve,” Stephen replied cooly.

In the time since they last saw one another, Stephen had gained a bit more confidence in the way he held himself.

“Well. I had a bit too much to drink that night, and you had been tempting me the whole time,” he teased back.

Stephen’s interest was peaked already. He like people who could take what he dished out and then dish it back again. It was one of the reasons for his on again, off again relationship with Christine, although these days they were pretty much off.

“How long are you in New York?” Stephen enquired.

“Just the night, but could be longer if I get distracted.”

At that moment they were interrupted by someone who knew Tony, and Stephen took the opportunity to go and get another drink. Sadly when he came back, Tony was nowhere to be found. He shrugged it off, as he knew they would run across one another again. It wasn’t as if the entire museum had been open to them.

Every so often, Stephen would spot Tony out of the corner of his eye, normally entertaining various groups of people. He was almost envious about how Tony seemed to be the life of the party at times. Although he had his image, reputation, and his own cleverness, he had always been missing that something else.

By the end of the night, he had given up on the idea that he would be flirting with Tony again. It seemed to be a missed opportunity, until he was outside waiting for the car service to come round. There Tony was, standing at waiting area, surprisingly alone for a man normally surrounded by others.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you again tonight,” Stephen remarked.

Tony turned to look at him. He grinned at Stephen, who returned the look.

“Well doc, the night is still young as long as the sun isn’t coming up.”

Tony ran his hand lightly over the lapel of Stephen’s tuxedo. They were close, as close as they had been that time in Los Angeles. Tony had an almost dreamy look with tinge of regret plastered on his face. In a way it did seem like a dream as Tony’s car pulled up and he got in, waving goodbye and leaving Stephen slightly bewildered while waiting for his own car. He felt as if the night had somehow been wasted.

 

III.

It always seemed that years passed before every time they met. However, Stephen could have never predicted the turn of events to lead him up to their next meeting. As he followed Thor through the halls of the Avengers headquarters, his heart pounded. Everyone knew Tony Stark was Iron Man, but no one knew the sorcerer named Doctor Strange. Very few people remembered the doctor named Strange, but he was sure that Tony would remember him.

“My friends, I have come bringing tidings from Asgard,” Thor announced as they walked in.

He was a quirky fellow, but Stephen liked him and found his style amusing. He was very different from anyone Stephen had ever met. It seemed that the others in the room had the same affection for him, with those recognizing the tall, muscular man having smiles plastered on their faces.

In the room he could name only Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. Of course he knew there were others, but before he became a sorcerer, he had never paid attention to anyone who couldn’t match his brilliance, so he had no clue who the rest were.

“Gather round one and all, the mighty Thor has returned,” Tony joked.

Tony stopped for a second, looking at Stephen with a puzzled expression.

“Brought a friend with you? Normally aren’t Asgardians a little more, you know?” Tony asked.

Stephen blinked in confusion. Didn’t Tony Stark recognize him? Granted they had those moments years ago, and he may have gone a little grey. He may also have grown a goatee and have been wearing something not normally seen in the western world, but surely the man recognized him.

“He’s a sorcerer from your world,” Thor said.

Thor and him had a long discussion about the difference between wizard and sorcerer in the time they had spent together.

“Doctor Strange. It’s an honor. I was highly interested in your work until a few years ago, when you seemed to disappear,” Banner said extending his hand.

Stephen shook his hand, flexing it afterward as the man’s grasp was too strong. He winced slightly internally, but tried not to show ot outwardly, as he didn't want anyone to ask about his hands. They could read it on the internet if they so desired.

Tony’s mouth dropped open a little after Banner had greeted him with a proper greeting.

“Strange? Didn’t even recognized you with you being all Harry Potter now.”

Stephen closed his eyes. Sometime he really hated people and their labels: Harry Potter, Merlin, Houdini, and the list went on. None of the names actually matching what he did, except for Merlin, who was actually a former Sorcerer Supreme.

“Well not quite, but we didn't come here to discuss that,” Stephen said politely smiling.

As he and Thor laid out the information they were in possession of, those in the room listened intently. They already had some idea about infinity stones and the like, but they had no idea about the gauntlet and their powers beyond what they had seen before. It was also the first time they had heard of Thanos.

After Thor and him had laid it all out for them, they spent a good hour or so debating amongst themselves about what to do and if they should involved the other ‘rogue’ Avengers. Stephen nearly nodded off to sleep while patiently waiting. It all seemed like bullshit politics to him, as they clearly didn't seem to understand the gravitas of the situation from his and Thor’s perspective. In the end though, it was Thor that persuaded them that they would need as many people as possible.

After watching the exasperating scene, Stephen found himself being led outside by Tony. Although he could have conjured a portal right in the building, he thought it best to respect his host and let the man lead him outside.

“Wow. I mean, you’re quite impressive now. Before you were kind of interesting, but I feel a little intimidated now,” Tony remarked.

Stephen shrugged. He hadn’t changed that much.

“Well, I thought of all people you would recognize me first, but I guess I never made that big of an impression on you before. Must have been in my imagination.”

Stephen knew that after today, Tony would never forget him now, and he smirked to himself.

“I still don’t understand. I mean world class neurosurgeon and now a sorcerer?”

“Yea, that’s probably a story from another time,” Stephen responded.

As Tony showed him to the driveway, he stopped in front of Stephen, his eyes filled with mischief.

“I feel like we’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another now. We’re gonna have a lot of fun together,” Tony said.

Once again they were standing close together, maybe too close to one another, and Stephen felt his heart skip a beat. It had been an awful long time since he had let himself feel like this. Even though he knew he should be focused on the tasks at hand, he thought that he did deserve a little break every now and then.

That was until a young man practically popped out of nowhere running up to Tony. He doubled over trying to regain his breath.

“I came as fast as I could. Sorry. Chemistry ran late,” The young man huffed, letting his bag fall to the ground.

Stephen shook his head. It looked like they would have to save it for another time as he made a portal and gave his regards. He thought that it seemed as the fates were against them as he closed the portal. Perhaps when things settled down a little.

 

IV.

The second time he had met all of the Avengers together, there was a lot of bad energy in the room. It was uncomfortable with everyone on edge, except for Thor and the youngest one, Peter. Sometimes it felt like he had slipped in the twilight zone, as he looked at Wong, who rolled his eyes and shook his head at nearly everything they discussed. The problem was that most people, even Stephen, knew less about everything than Wong, and although Stephen had a photographic memory, Wong had the experience. With the Eye of Agamotto gone, he also insisted on having a spot at the table.

“You are nothing in the grand scheme of things. Just like me and him,” Wong chided.

Stephen had actually never seen him this irritated before, and there had been many instances where Stephen had overstepped his boundaries.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Mr. Wong,” Vision added.

Stephen looked at everyone in the room. Once one of the Avengers spoke up in their defense, it seemed to have more weight than before, yet they were still divided.

“So what are you saying exactly? That we shouldn’t even fight at all?” Romanov asked crossing her arms.

“That is not what he said,” Stephen responded rolling his eyes.

“Everyone shut up. We can sit here all day debating this and that, but when it comes down to it, we have no idea what the hell is going to happen. All we can do is react when it does, and protect our own,” Tony snapped.

“Tony’s right,” Captain America added.

That seemed to settle everything, as the man had been silent for the entire meeting up until that point. A few days before their meeting, Stephen had read about their little schism a few years back. He had missed the news at the time, being on his way to Kamar-Taj, and he had not been concerned with anything but fixing his hands. A lot had changed from that time, and was hard to believe he was sitting with the Avengers and Wong having roundabout discussions about what to do about Thanos.

He felt tired for the first time in a long time. All the joy seemed to have been taken from his life the day that he was unable to protect the Eye. Struggling, he closed his eyes and let the others continue to talk amongst themselves about various concerns.

Wong placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to the scene in front of them.

Stephen got up to stretch and wandered off. Whatever they were talking about, they didn’t need Stephen there. Although it was fairly rude, he couldn’t care less at this point. He needed to get some air, and he wandered through some hallways into somewhere that opened up into a courtyard of sorts. Taking a deep breath, he hung on the railing that overlooked a small greenery on the lower level.

The whole building reminded him of one of those newer, fancy hospitals that he would occassional see on the outskirts of major cities that serviced the suburbs. It was clean with those little touches of nature, and felt utterly devoid of other characteristics. He frowned missing those days when he was a doctor, where everything was a little simpler, and the world wasn’t going to end because of him.

Once again, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t go back there Wong. There was no point even coming here if they won’t listen to reason,” Stephen grumbled.

“Well, some of us will.”

He turned facing Tony, feeling the heat rise up into his face out of embarrassment.

Tony gave him a half smile.

“You look good like that, younger,” Tony joked.

“I didn’t mean you,” Stephen added quietly.

There he went sticking his foot in his mouth again. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last.

“You know we never finished that discussion the last time,” Tony said seriously.

There was something weighty and subdued about the man who had normally joked and teased him. Over the past few times they had met, he had started to see a different, more well rounded side to Tony. They weren’t the children playing adults that they were when they first met.

“One day maybe we will have that discussion, but I have a feeling it’s probably not going to be today either,” Stephen replied seriously.

“Well, we are alone now. So how about it? How is it that you are here trying to save the world?”

“I could ask the same thing.”

Maybe Stephen liked this game most of all, where nothing and everything was said at the same time, this game where nothing and everything was done at the same time. It was intoxicating, and he always found himself back in the same position.

Then Tony gave him that look, the same one from all those other times. He leaned in, and their lips almost touched, but Tony stopped before they could. He groaned as he reached in his pocket taking out his cellphone. Sighing and briefly closing his eyes in frustration, he answered it.

“Yea. Nope. Be there in a minute,” Tony responded.

Tony jerked his head to gesture to get back to the conference room.

 

V.

Tony sat next to Stephen in the waiting area for family members at the hospital. Someone's blood was splattered over Stephen’s robe, and he clutched onto the Eye of Agamoto as tightly as he could. He had actually refused to send it back to Kamar-Taj this time, as Thanos had easily taken it from them before, and he felt he at least earned this. Wong hadn’t argued with him for some reason, maybe still in shock from what had transpired.

“If you hadn’t been there,” Tony remarked once again, emotions rising in his tone.

They all had suffered, but this time it was the others that had suffered most of all. Stephen had lived through worse with Dormammu, but these people, they entered something that was much bigger than anything else they had survived previously.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Tony stated, his voice cracking, “They’re my friends. Some of them were my friends, and now…”

Stephen was silent. This type of scene was routine in his life, from the time his sister died until now, he knew nothing would help with their pain. The only thing he could do was place his hand on Tony’s. It wasn’t much, but it would keep him grounded for now.

Watching some of the others as they tended to their physical and emotional wounds, he couldn’t help but be grateful that he was not in their position, as selfish as it was. He and Wong had been lucky, albeit they had a lot of pieces to pick up and put back together, but it was nothing they hadn’t done before. The others however… He figured they all had lost loved ones, but never in such a viscous way before.

Peter Parker came to sit next to Tony, pale and looking at a picture on the wall. Stephen knew the kid should be in bed rather than sitting with them. He needed his family most of all, and although he kind of worshiped Tony, it didn’t make up for real flesh and blood, a warm bed and a bath, a home instead of a hospital.

Stephen sighed looking around.

“They will pull through,” Stephen finally said.

It probably wasn’t true given the extent of many of their injuries, but he knew Tony needed something, and with Peter looking at him as well, he couldn’t not say anything.

“Really?” Tony asked, his eyes narrowed.

He knew that they were empty words, but what could he do?

“Why don’t we go get something to drink?” Stephen asked.

Tony nodded and they got up. Peter looked like he wanted to follow, but Stephen motioned for him to sit. They needed some time alone and away from prying eyes. Part of him knew that it was a distraction from dealing with his own feelings, but he could wait and Tony couldn’t.

If he remembered correctly, there was a small coffee shop around the corner that sold various drinks. At the time he would often grab a cup before surgery, but now he only drank tea. Sure enough it was still there, and the world was still turning around them. For some reason, he needed the reminder.

Buying a cup of coffee for Tony, a cup of tea for himself, and a can of soda for Peter, they walked back down the halls of the hospital. They stopped short of the waiting area, putting their drinks down on a cart that rested outside of a supply closet.

It wasn’t as busy as it normally was, which was a good sign. It meant that Tony’s friends were getting all the care that they could hope for. He knew Christine was doing all she could. She was a clever woman, much more capable than he may have implied long ago.

“Give it to me straight doc. You know these things. Who’s not going to make it?”

Stephen looked at him, but he couldn’t keep the pity from his eyes.

“Tony, we don’t know anything yet.”

Tony rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands as he became frustrated with Stephen’s answer. They were all tired and exhausted, and although Stephen could understand that he wanted to be prepared for bad news, these kinds of things were not predictable. Sometimes the ones with the most severe injuries miraculously survived, while those who looked like they had only cuts and bruises turned out to be worst case scenarios.

He wasn’t sure if it was welcomed or not, but he pulled Tony close, embracing him. Stephen felt the other man’s breathing steady a bit, before he tilted his gaze downward, Tony looking at him with emotion filling in his eyes. All Stephen wanted to do was protect him, and at that moment, he knew he was in too deep. The casual flirting or whatever that had happened before, had now blossomed into true affection. But it wasn’t the right time, so instead Stephen laid a kiss on Tony’s forehead before releasing him.

“Come on, I’ll try to shake down a nurse for an update. I may still have some allies here.”

Tony nodded, as they picked up their drinks and went to join the others.

 

+I.

It was weeks before they could actually see one another. Although they managed to chat a few times, it was always about nothing, like the weather or about upstate New York, but never about the dead. Those things weren’t talked about over the phone, and frankly Stephen had no right to talk about them. If Tony wanted to talk, he would listen, but he had no authority to ask that from him.

Sometimes the calls came in the middle of the day and sometimes they came at two am, but Stephen kept his distance, waiting for that moment he knew would come. Even though it came at two in the morning on a Thursday, it didn’t bother him. He didn't mind opening a portal and meeting Tony.

Tony met him outside and took him into the Avenger’s headquarters. Everything was quiet, as many of the Avengers were elsewhere, or still in the hospital. The place was eerily in the night, very much unlike his sanctum.

Stephen motioned for his cloak to leave him, and Tony stared at it for a second. Sometimes he forgot how odd it must look to others.

“Still can’t get over the fact that you're some kind of sorcerer now,” Tony mumbled.

“So says the Iron Man,” Stephen teased.

Tony shrugged, giving him a half smile. It wasn’t all that surprising when they thought of it like that. The world had changed; they had changed.

“You know, we never did finish that discussion,” Tony said.

“Which one was that?”

They had lots of discussions in the past months.

“The one where you tell me how a neurosurgeon becomes a sorcerer. What is it now? Sorcerer Supreme? The best of the best?” Tony enquired half-heartedly.

Stephen sighed. He figured it was probably time to talk about it, after all they had been through, and how close they had become. It wasn’t as if he were hiding it, but there was one thing he normally didn’t like to share. This was the hard part for him, but he felt if anyone understood it would be Tony. The man had so many scars himself. Stephen didn’t mention it, but he had read the case file from the doctors that had operated on the man, and that didn’t even begin to cover all the new physical and emotional scars he received a weeks ago.

He pulled off his gloves, revealing his shaking hands, criss-crossed with the lines from all those surgeries. This was personal, and the only ones still alive who had really seen him like this were Wong, Christine, and Mordo, wherever he was.

“I went to Nepal to fix my hands, but found a higher calling of sorts. It’s harder to live like this, but exponentially more rewarding.”

Perhaps one day he would expand on it, telling him of the people he loved and lost, but for now he allowed Tony to look at his hands, listening to Stephen’s short story. His eyes sunken by the dark circles under them, reflecting Stephen’s own. He also had been having troubles coping, wondering if he could have done more for the lost.

“What a pair we are,” Tony murmured.

Stephen smiled kindly. What a pair they were indeed, but while Tony’s voice dripped with sorrow, Stephen’s heart soared with affection. They were survivors, and even if they failed, they gave it their all. It was a lesson that took him a long time to learn.

Stephen raised his hand to Tony’s face.

“We can be fantastic together,” Stephen assured him.

Tony’s eyes met his, and finally after years of the almosts and could-have-beens, they kissed, with Stephen’s soft lips meeting Tony’s. In some ways it felt like another new beginning.


End file.
